English Below
أصدرت الدائرة الجناحية يوم الإثنين 29 جانفي 2024 حكما يقضي بسجن السياسي والمرشح السابق للرئاسة لطفي المرايحي 6 أشهر مع تأجيل التنفيذ وذلك على خلفية ظهوره في برنامج إعلامي انتقد فيه أداء الرئيس قيس سعيد وطريقة تسييره لشؤون الدولة.
التهمة: الفصل 24 من المرسوم عدد54
لطفي المرايحي أمين عام حزب الإتحاد الشعبي الجمهوري ومرشح سابق للرئاسة، صدر في حقّه يوم الإثنين حكم بالسجن 6 أشهر مع تأجيل التنفيذ وذلك على خلفية حضوره في برنامج ميدي شو بتاريخ نوفمبر 2022 والذي تحدث فيه عن الواقع السياسي في تونس، وانتقد مردود رئيس الجمهورية واعتبر حسب ما جاء على لسانه أثناء الحصة أن قيس سعيّد انتهى ولم تعد له أدنى شعبية. الأمر الذي تسبب في عرضه على القضاء وتتبعه عدليا، حيث عبّرت الناطقة الرسمية باسم الإتحاد الشعبي الجمهوري السيدة مريم الفرشيشي في شهادتها لجمعية تقاطع من أجل الحقوق والحريات، أن إحالة الدكتور لطفي المرايحي، كانت بناء على شكاية تقدّمت بها وزيرة العدل الحالية ليلى الجفال مطالبة فيها بتتبع ضحية الانتهاك، على معنى الفصل 24 من المرسوم عدد 54 المتعلق بمكافحة الجرائم المتصلة بأنظمة المعلومات والاتصال. هذا بالإضافة إلى منعه من السفر لمرتين على التوالي وإعلامه في مطار تونس قرطاج بأنه ممنوع من السفر دون وجود أي حكم قضائي يفيد بمنعه من مغادرة تراب الجمهورية التونسية. كما عبّر السياسي لطفي المرايحي في مقطع فيديو نشره على صفحته الشخصية عن تنديده بالتهمة المنسوبة إليه معتبرا إياها انتهاكا لحقوقه. ومساسا من الحريّات السياسية
Summary:
On Monday, January 29, 2024, the Criminal Chambers issued a verdict sentencing the political and former presidential candidate Lotfi Mraihi to six months in prison with a suspended sentence. This is because of his appearance on a media program where he criticized President Kais Saied’s performance and his state affairs management.
Personal Information: Name: Lotfi Mraihi
Charges: Article 24 of Decree No.54
Incidents of Violation:
Lotfi Mraihi, the Secretary-General of the Republican People’s Union party and a former presidential candidate, was sentenced on Monday to 6 months in prison, suspended. This occurred in light of his appearance on the radio program “Midi Show” in November 2022, where he discussed the political situation in Tunisia, criticized the President’s performance, and stated during the session that Kais Saied popularity is on the wane. This led to his prosecution and judicial pursuit. The official spokesperson of the Republican People’s Union party, Ms.Mariem El Ferchichi, testified to Intersection Association for Rights and Freedoms that Dr.Lotfi Mraihi’s referral was based on a complaint filed against him by the current Minister of Justice, Leila Jaffel, demanding the pursuit of the violation victim under Article 24 of Decree No.54 concerning the fight against crimes related to information and communication systems. Furthermore, he was banned from traveling twice in a row and was informed at Tunis Carthage Airport that he was prohibited from traveling without any judicial order preventing him from leaving the Tunisian territory. Moreover, Lotfi Mraihi condemned the charges against him in a video
he posted on his personal Facebook page, considering them a violation of his rights and an infringement of political freedoms.
Human Rights Violations:
The statement made by Mr.Lotfi Mraihi is a personal opinion that falls under the exercise of his right to freedom of expression, including his criticism of the political authority, and does not warrant his prosecution and being presented before the judiciary as a defendant in disseminating false news. Such accusations, which the current authority uses against its critics, are equivalent to oppressive practices that aim at violating freedom of opinion and expression. In addition, the referral text enshrined in Article 24 of Decree No.54 serves no purpose other than further tightening freedom of expression to the extent of their elimination in terms of unjust penalties embedded in the decree mentioned above. Monitoring and pursuing individuals based on their opinions violate Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stipulates, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
It is worth noting that the array of violations within Decree No.54 through imposing punitive measures, such as imprisonment and hefty fines for a wide range of crimes, vaguely and loosely defined by the dree, without taking into consideration the repercussions they may result. It is worth mentioning that freedom of expression is a fundamental right entrenched in the Tunisian constitution under Article 37, which states, “Freedom of opinion, thought, expression, information, and publishing are guaranteed. There shall be no prior censorship of these freedoms.” Additionally, banning the victim from traveling without any judicial order represents another violation, that is, the violation of his right to movement, which is a fundamental right guaranteed within the Tunisian constitution of 2022 in Article 30, which states that citizens have the right to choose their residence and to travel within the country and abroad. Moreover, this right is protected by Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sources:
The violation case was documented after a call with the official spokesperson of the Republican People’s Union Party, reviewing Mr.Lotfi’s statement published on his personal page and examining his media statements concerning the issue.